Transformers: Animated - The Fourth Series
by H.R.C. Stanley
Summary: My take on a season 4. Megatron's arrest may prove an end to the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons temporarily, it also marks the beginning of a new crisis, the return of ancient foes, and the unveiling of certain secrets. Trials, supervillains, combiners, triple changers and dark mirror universes abound.


**_Transformers: Animated - The Fourth Series_**

A _Transformers_/_Beast Wars_ fanfiction

By H.R.C. Stanley

Based on the _Transformers: Animated_ series owned and created by Hasbro and Cartoon Network

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**Prologue**

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_In the Earthyear of 2057 AD, a small group of sentient autonomous robotic beings, from a faraway planet known as Cybertron, discovered an ancient power long thought to be lost forever, the Allspark, the bringer of life. Through the combined spells of this relic and an abandoned space bridge, the autonomous robotic organisms found their way to our planet, Earth._

_50 years later, in 2107, the Autobots woke from their stasis. They soon became the heroes of Detroit, and humanity. They met a young mysterious human named Sari Sumdac, and her father, Professor Isaac Sumdac. Over time, they fought off various threats and foes, including their sworn enemies, the Decepticons, led by the tyrannical Megatron. Eventually, they uncovered secrets about themselves as well as their "human" companion Sari, who had been revealed be part-human, part-transformer, a hybrid of both worlds, one of a kind._

_Together, they finally defeated and captured Megatron and most of his fellow Decepticons, and brought them to justice. However, this didn't mean the end just yet; for many still remained out there, hiding and waiting in plain sight..._

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**Location: Somewhere in the city-planet of Botropolis**

**Timedate: Unknown**

Deep underground, a lone hunched metallic figure, bright lime green and blue in scheme, spiralling horns of thick steel and a long aged cape of olive velvet, sat quietly and pondered in a vast and dimly lit room. The silence was eventually broken as the sound of shifting metal doors caught his attention. A shorter bot made himself into view, black and green, and with a yellow arm and hook in place of a hand, or rather servo.

"I've been waiting for you, Lockdown," the bright lime green horned figure spoke in a deep yet calm and quiet voice.

"Well you know me," the dark green and black mech, identified as 'Lockdown', chuckled raspily. "been a while, hasn't it? Like they say, 'long time, no see'. So, what's it you want?"

"I've a mission for you; you must find the various artefacts of the Thirteen, my fellow brethren, starting with the Forge of Solus Prime."

"Hmm, and where may I find this Forge?"

"If recent word is to be believed, it's now in the possession of a new Prime, one I suspect you may recognise..."

With a quick flick of a switch, a holo-screen projected, brightening up the otherwise-dim room. The screen displayed a scanning shot, the compressed sound of a cheering crowd, of the various Autobots and Decepticons, many of which the bounty hunter instantly recognised: a white and red wrinkled mech almost as old as he is, and a slender pink femme.

"Ratchet and Arcee," Lockdown growled, his optics narrowed and his one servo squeezing into a fist.

However, his mood changed upon observing closer as he spotted a large pod, and within laid a gun-metal grey and still form of another bot he recognised.

"Ah, my old friend Prowl," he huffed. "I knew someday he would end up just like his master."

"So you do remember these individuals...?" the tall being raised a brow.

"Long stories,"

"And the Prime?" the figure pointed at the screen, specifically at the red and blue mech standing in front and centre view, with a long and blue hammer in servo and a bright glowing blue crystal around his neck.

"Optimus Prime..." Lockdown nodded.

"That indeed so,"

"So I guess I get the whole gist of it then,"

"Indeed so,"

"But we haven't yet discussed the subject of payment, you can't something fore nothing, you know," Lockdown spoke back. "What do I get in return should I achieve his hammer you want?"

The caped being reached into his back with both servos, and produced a pack of small yet sharp and lime green darts in his left, and held by his right was a slightly large chrome cylinder, glowing a faint orange.

"Behold my powerful weaponry, my Liegian Darts, within each of these contains a variety of toxins capable of paralysing or even taking a potential target offline," he introduced the darts on his left. "And this is a Seed," he displayed the elaborate cylinder on his right. "One of these could convert a whole mile wide radius of organic life into pure technomatter. They're rare and in short supply for now, but I'm sure we'll find the right resources once we get on with this mission."

"Neat," Lockdown complimented, taking a hold of the Seed first, observing its build and hiding it away in his own back. "Is that all?"

"Even better however," the being paused. "For you're not going alone this time, for I shall offer you a crew."

"A crew, huh? I never exactly felt the need for one before till now," the bounty hunter stroked his thick chin. "Very well then, show me what or who you got."

The caped being raised from his chair, tapped on the screen, and revealed various mugshot profiles of certain Transformers. Some definitely more uglier than others, but certainly unrecognisable in Lockdown's processor.

"Behold Stinger, efficient and obedient, he's a shifter, able to take on any likeness he may see fit and necessary," he introduced one by one. "Nitro Zeus, egotistical but merciless, Mohawk, small yet very slick, Dreadbot, hard to control and even harder to kill, he even managed to rob the second-largest bank in Botropolis all by himself and lived to tell the tale, and last but certainly not least, Berserker."

Lockdown took a few moments of silence to scan through the profiles, not missing even a single detail, and think over.

"Hmm, I guess they'll all do," the mercenary grinned.

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_To be continued..._


End file.
